We ended up at Grasshopper, a homey, Chinese/Vietnamese vegan joint. The food was amazing and plentiful. The service though was, at best, meh. The waiter got Maya’s order wrong, completely forgot to bring Helen’s and the main dishes arrived all higgledy–piggledy. This wasn’t the end of the world since we’d gotten two apps and ended up sharing around all our dishes anyway.

Still, better, more organized service woulda been way bettah.

Next time I think we’ll hit my old fav Yoma, a Burmese joint just a few doors down from Grasshopper. LOVE Burmese food and Yoma is tremendous. Why didn’t we go there yesterday? Eh, I wanted to break outta my usual mode and try something new.

We were all so damn full after our repast that we didn’t stop at [FoMu], a vegan ice cream joint.

Snazzy new sneaks

Beloved old vans

From their FAQs page:

What is in the [FoMu] Ice Cream base?Our signature hard ice cream is made with a coconut base. Our nut-based flavors are made with an almond and cashew blend.

Why Coconut?Coconut
is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is
classified as a "functional food" because of its health benefits beyond
its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it
possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary fat
and is extensively used in traditional medicine. Coconut has
antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, and
anti-inflammatory properties. Its allergenic properties are lower than
that of many other dairy substitutes. Coconuts are technically
considered a tree nut. They usually, however, do not affect those with
traditional tree nut allergies.

Is [FoMu] ice cream vegan?Yes. We are a completely plant-based company, and all of our products are free of dairy, egg, and animal-derived products.

Next stop was the New Balance Factory Outlet where we all (OK, just me) parted with too much damn cabbage. Still, amongst other things, I got a sweet pair of kicks that’ll give me the arch support that my beloved Vans won’t. *sigh* old now—need cantilevers, columns, flying buttresses and a fancy fulcrum or two.

From there Helen and the girls took off for Hoosick Falls and home. Della, Maya and I hopped the Red Line for the hot T ride home. While it’s generally about ten degrees cooler here in Valhalla than it is in town, yesterday seemed to be an exception. We went down to the seawall and soaked our tootsies in the cold, cold water and then went home to read while imbibing fruit enhanced bevs.

Blows my tiny mind that Della and Maya will be leaving early tomorrow morning. The week’s gone so damn fast! They'll be back later this month to spend a weekend with an old friend who lives, incredibly, nearby. So, we'll have one last hurrah before they head back to Deutschland.